Sonnet. Occasioned by reading The Truth and Importance of Natural and Revealed Religion.

Poems by Dr. Dodd.

A sonnet, after Spenser, published in 1767. Samuel Squire (1713-66), author of The Truth and Importance of Natural and Revealed Religion, was chaplain of All-Souls, Oxford, dean of Bristol and Bishop of St. David's (1761); he was associated with the duke of Newcastle and lord Chesterfield; he was William Dodd's early patron.

Earl R. Wasserman: William Dodd's allegorical sonnet, published in 1767, was "suggested by Raleigh's sonnet on the Faerie Queene" Elizabethan Poetry in the Eighteenth Century (1947) 152.

Gerald Howson: "The judicious Squire was neither nauseated nor even embarrassed by such shameless crawling. On the contrary, now that Newcastle's power was on the wane, he was looking out for ambitious young divines through whom he could exercise a little patronage himself and so consolidate his position. For this reason, dedications to the Bishop of St. David's abound in the books and pamphlets of these years. He invited Dodd to meet him and, having inspected him, made him his private chaplain" Macaroni Parson (1973) 50.

Methought I saw in vision t' other morn,
Celestial reason in her azure vest:
A star there was, which blaz'd upon her breast,
And placid sweetness did her brow adorn.
Firm judgment here, and gentle candour stood,
With meek-ey'd charity, beside the queen;
With many graces more; but chief was seen
Instruction, hand in hand, with public good.
Attendant these on heavenly reason came,
And on religion's shrine an offering laid;
I saw it straight her whole attention claim:
The what it was, how could I but enquire?
Instant with rapture, "'tis my son's," she said;
"The polish'd page of my judicious SQUIRE."